Samantha DeWerff earns Outstanding Major in Biochemistry Award

Samantha DeWerff, daughter of Dennis and Vickie DeWerff of Normal, Ill., was awarded the Outstanding Major in Biochemistry Award during Honors Day May 14 at North Central College.

A senior, Samantha is majoring in biochemistry at North Central College. She is a graduate of Normal Community West High School.

She will begin working toward a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

Samantha presented two research projects at the 2013 National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in April. She also presented her academic research in a poster presentation titled “Elucidating the Role of YAK1 in Signal Transduction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae” during the College’s 2013 Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research.

Samantha’s name has regularly appeared on the Dean’s List. A College Scholar Honors student, she completed an honors thesis titled “Frequency of the SH Variant in FC Gamma Receptors.” She also studied abroad at the University of Leicester in England.